Word-composition

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Compounding of word-composition is one of the productive t s of word-formation in Modem English. Compounds are made up of two ICs which are both derivational bases. Compound words are inseparable vocabulary units. They are formally and semantically dependent on the constituent bases and the semantic relations between them which mirror the relations between the motivating units. Care should be taken not to confuse compound words with polymorphic words of secondary derivation, i.e. derivatives built according to an affixal pattern but oh a compound stem for its base such as e.g., school-mastership ([n + n] + suf), ex - housewife (prf+ [n + n]), to weekend ([n + n] →conversion).

The structural inseparability of compound words finds expression in the unity of their specific distributional pattern and specific stress and spelling pattern.

Structurally compound words are characterised by the specific order and arrangement in which bases follow one another. The order in which the two bases are placed within a compound is rigidly fixed in Modern English. And it is the second IC that makes the head-member of the word, i.e. its structural and semantic centre. The head-member is of basic importance 'as it preconditions both the lexico-grammatical and semantic features of the first component. Phonetically compounds are also marked by a specific structure of their own. No phonemic changes of bases occur in composition, but the compound word acquires a new-stress pattern different from the stress in the motivating words; e.g. the words key and hole each possess their own stress but when the stems of these words are brought together to make up a new-compound word "-keyhole", the latter is given a different stress pattern - unity stress on the first component in this case.

Compound words have three stress patterns:

a) a high or unity stress on the first component as in 'honeymoon, 'doorway.

b) a double stress, with a primary stress on the first component and a weaker, secondary stress on the second component, e.g. 'blood-vessel, 'mad - ֽdoctor - "a psychiatrist".

In many cases the two stress patterns acquire a contrasting force distinguishing compound words from word groups. E.g. A 'mad-ֽdoctor is "a psychiatrist, but a 'mad 'doctor is "a doctor who is mad".

c) Both ICs have a level stress: 'arm 'chair. Graphically most compounds have two types of spelling - they are spelt either solidly or with a hyphen. However, the spelling of compounds varies from author to author and from dictionary to dictionary. E.g., the words "war-path", "money-lender" are spelt both with a hyphen and solidly.

Semantically compound words are generally motivated units. The meaning of the compound is derived from the combined lexical meanings· of its components: e.g. chess - board - "a board with sixty-four squares for playing chess".

Structural meaning of the pattern

The meaning of the compound is derived not only from the combined lexical meanings of its components, but also from the meaning signaled by the patterns of the order and arrangement of its ICs.

A mere change in the order of bases with the same lexical meanings, brings about a drastic change in the lexical meaning of the compound or destroys it altogether. Let us compare "lifeboat" - "a boat for saving lives from wrecks or along the coast" with "boat-life" - "life on board the ship". ·Thus the structural or distributional pattern in compound words carries a certain meaning of its own which is largely independent of the lexical meaning of their ICs. It follows that the lexical meaning of a compound is .derived from the combined lexical meaning of its components and the structural meaning of its distributional pattern.

The structural meaning of the derivational pattern of compounds may be abstracted and described through the interrelation of its ICs. In analysing compound adjectives "duty-bound", "wind-driven" we observe that their underlying pattern n + Ven conveys the generalised meaning of instrumental or agentive relations which can be interpreted as "done by or with the help of smth"; the lexical meanings of the bases supply the individual action performed and the actual doer of the action or objects with the help of which the action is done; "duty - bound" = "bound by duty"; "wind driven" = "driven by wind".

The derivational patterns in compounds may be mono semantic as in the above - given examples and polysemantic. E.g. the pattern n + a → A, which underlies the adjectives "snow-white", "world-wide" has two meanings, which may be interpreted:

a) through semantic relations of comparison between the components (word-wide - "wide as the world") and b) through various relations of adverbial type as in "road-weary" - "weary of the road", "colour blind" - "blind to colours".

THE MEANING OF COMPOUNDS. MOTIVATION

The semantic centre of the compound is the lexical meaning of the second component modified and restricted by the meaning of the first The lexical meanings of both components are closely fused together to create a new semantic unit with a new meaning which is not merely additive but dominates the individual meanings of the bases and is characterised ay some additional semantic component 'not found in any of the bases. E.g. "a hand-bag" is "a bag designed to be carried in the hand", but it is also "a woman's bag to keep money".

There are compounds that are completely motivated like "sky-blue" or partially motivated: e.g. "handcuffs" retain only a resemblance to cuffs and in fact are "metal rings placed found the wrists of a prisoner". There are compounds that lack motivation altogether: "eye-wash" - "smth said or done to deceive a person".